Door latch mechanism



March-23, 19433. JANONIS DOOR LATCH MECHANISM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July '7, 1941 INVENTOR. GEORGE JANONIS FIG.3.-

Filed July '7, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 8.

' INVENTOR. JANoms GEORGE BY ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 23, 1943 UNIT ED STAT ES PATEN T OLFFIC E Boon LATCH MECHANISM.

George Janonis, Detroit, Mich. Application July, 7, 1941,, Seaman 9 Claims.

This inventionreljates. generally to door latch mechanism and refers more particularly to vehicle door latch mechanism. Ordinarily the doors. of vehicle. bodies are provided upon. the inside and outside thereof with laterally projecting latch handles that not. only constitute objectionable projections. but also. are unsightly and mar the appearance of the. doors. Inthe present instance, I'have overcome. these objections and have otherwise improved the latch mechanism generally by eliminating: the projecting handles so that the outside and. inside of the. doors are smooth and neat in appearance, and by employing handles that are normally out of the Way and enhance rather than detract from the appearance of the doors.

Another object is to provide an improved latch bolt andkeeper therefor which enables the. latch mechanism to operate. with a minimum of effort and are exceptionally effective; to hold the door in partially or fully closed position,

Another object is to provide a latch mechanism that as a whole is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and easy to install. "Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made Figure 3is a View similar to Figure l with the outside panel of the door removed and showing latch mechanism embodying my invention applied to the inner panel and an upright of the door;

Figurefil is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3; Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4; r

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-.-6 of Figure 3;

Figure? isa sectional view taken on the 1-1 of Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the-line 8- 8. of Figure '3;

Figure 9 is an edge elevation of the'jamb. Referring now to the drawings, A is a hingedly mounted door of a vehicle body, B is a jamb or upright abutment therefor, and C is the latch mechanism embodying my invention. As shown,-the door A has .the inner and Outer line panels l0; audit. respectively. and th suppo tin up ights L2 and; 1: to wh ch said: Pa ls. re

rigidly secured, Prererablv the nne p nel. 0

is. covered with a suitable iabric, trim panel It. As usual, the. 610,01 has a window: opening 15 and is providedat th edges f s d op n n with suitable. mold n r finish. str ps it. A ve tically slidin la pan or W ndo ll n mally closes the openin fiend s rovided po the-opposed: si es of he uprigh s I2 nd I3. w t runways or channels ain whi h t e edges f the glass pan l may r vel... Any suitable mecm anism (not shown) may be mpl yed fo s id ng the glass. panel IT, inthe runways-1B,. v

The jamb; B- is a rigid pa t 2 the v hic e body and. lim tsthe clos ng mev e f the door A v The latch mechan sm. C'has pivotally; m n edilatch bo t. a, a. e per Jrtri er pla e .0 therefor, and two. remote een r l an M and 22,..resnective1v. operable respectively fr m he inner and oute sid s of the door for actuating the latchbolt 19-. V I

Asshown, thewla eh olt, I9 s. wedgeeshape in confi ration and is mounted o wing ov r the. outside of the free-edge 23 of the door. Preferably the; head 24 of the wedge-shaped bolt is rounded and has a laterally extending cylindr cal shank 25. that extends through the free edge 230i: the door and is journaled. in a bearing forme y. mplemen ar m r la por io s zeand 2.1, resp c ive y, o ase plate section 8 and 29 upon. the inside and rigid wi h th r ed e 23 f the door, finch sections 23 and 29 are. -i'SklaPB in cr ss; section a d a se u toeach other as well as to. the free edge 23 of e oor. efera ly he eb 30 a d 3h spectively, of said; sections are secured together in back-to,-ba cl v relationwhile th lateral flanges 3.2 and 3 3 of: the sections are secured to the doom 'Iheke per 2 f r th olt l9-has a 'J-Lshaped Portion dispos d.- edee s o r a d ri h an atta hinep e fifith t n urn .is s with he-lamb B, a dis, prov ded; on the inner face fth et. theiireeedseief the shank acther or maybe used tosecure theplate .to the jambB.

The remotecontrol'means 2| and 22 are operatively connected to the shank 25 of the bolt, preferably by pins 49 and 4|, respectively, projecting from the shank at substantially diametrically opposite points thereof. Actually such pins 40 and 4| may be portions of one pin-like member that extends through the shank 25 or may be separate elements rigid with said shank. Extending in opposite directions from the pins 40 and 4| and connected to bolts 42 and 43 anchored in the webs 30 and 3| of the case plate sections are coil springs 44 and 45 that normally retain the tapered tail 49 of the latch bolt in lowered keeper-engaging position.

The remote control means 2| operable from the inner side of the door preferably comprises midway its ends on a bracket 48 fixed to the a relatively long lever 41 pivoted substantially 25 of the latch bolt I9.

inner panel III of the door and having one end 7 portion 49 movable in a slot 50 in the case plate section 28 for engagement with the pin 40 on the latch bolt shank 25, a relatively short lever 5| also pivoted substantially midway its ends on the bracket 48 and having a pin 52 engaging a longitudinally extending slot 53 in the adjacent end of the long lever 41, a bell crank lever 54 pivoted at the juncture of the arms 55 and 58 thereof upon a plate 51 rigid with the inner panel II] of the door, a long link 58 terminally connected to the short lever 5| and to the arm 55 of the bell crank lever 54, a hand lever 59 pivoted adjacent one end to lateral flanges 60 and 6| of the plate 51, and a short link 62 terminally connected to the hand lever 59 and arm 56 of the bell crank lever 54. Preferably the hand lever 59 is substantially T-shape in cross section. The upright fiat portion 63 of the T is received within a recess or opening 64 in and is substantially flush with the outer surface of the molding I6 at the lower edge of the window opening I5 in the door, while the horizontal web 65 of the T is provided at one end with an inward projection 86 that receives the connection between the hand lever 59 and short link 62. As shown, this connection comprises a pivot pin 62' that is preferably an integral part of the short link 62 and that engages a hole 68 in the inward projection 86 of the web 65. It will also be noted 'that the plate 51 has an elongated slot 69 for receiving the web 65 and has an opening 18 at one end of said slot for receiving the adjacent end of the hand lever 59 during pivotal movement of the latter when the free end 1| of said lever is pulled outwardly from the recess 64 in the molding IE to unlatch and open the door. Thus, by pulling outwardly the free end 1| of the hand lever 59, the bell crank lever 54, link 58 and levers 5| and 41 will cause the pin 40 to be depressed so that the latch bolt I9 will be retracted against the tension of the springs 44 and 45. In fact, the construction and arrangement is such that the springs 44 and 45 not only serve to hold the latch bolt I9 in its normally lowered position for engagement with the keeper 20, but also normally hold the hand lever 59 within the recess 64 in the molding I6. It should also be noted that the construction and arrangement of hand lever 59,- molding I8 and trim panel 14 is such that the free end 1| of the hand lever 59 may be engaged by the fingers of the operator when it is desired to pull outwardly the free end I. of the hand lever to unlatch and open the door and likewise the other end 12 of the hand lever 59 may be similarly engaged by the fingers ,when it is desired to pull the door from opento closed position. It will be notedfurther that the engagement of the long lever 41 with the pin 40 on the bolt shank 25 is such that the bolt 19 is free to turn independently of the inside remote control means 2| when, for example, the door is slammed or pulled to closed position.

The remote control means 22 operable from the outer side of the door comprises an upright hand lever 13 disposed substantially parallel to and pivoted at its lower end upon an elongated bracket 14 rigid with the inside of the free edge 23 of the door, a substantially T-shaped pin 15 rigid with said hand lever below and slightly offset relative to the pivot 18 for said hand lever. and a long link 11 terminally connected to the T-shaped pin 15 and to the pin 4| on the shank As shown, this link 11 has an elongated slot 18 receiving the pin 4| on the bolt shank so that the latter and pin 4| thereon may move independently of the outside control means 22 when the door is slammed or pushed to closed position, and has an opening 19 receiving the stem 88 of the T-shaped pin 15 on the hand lever 13. Preferably a fingerpiece 8| is provided on the outer side of the hand lever 13 at its upper free end to facilitate movement thereof by an operator. Thus, the construction and arrangement of the outer control means 22 is such that the springs 44 and 45 also normally hold the hand lever 13 in upright position substantially in registration with the elongated bracket 14 on the door. When the upper free end of the hand lever 13 is pulled outwardly, the link 11 will lift the pin 4| and thus cause the latch bolt to be retracted against the tension of the springs 44 and 45.

If desired, a dog 82 may be provided for rendering the hand lever 13 inoperative. 'As shown, this dog 82 is pivoted substantially midway its ends on the bracket 14 at the upper end thereof and has an end 83 engageable with a notch or recess 84 in the hand lever 13 to prevent the latter from being pulled outwardly as aforesaid to unlatch and open the door. Preferably the dog 82 would be operated from inside the vehicle body by a fingerpiece 85 projecting through the molding I3 at the upper edge of the window opening I5 and operatively connected to the other end 88 of the dog. Various different connections between the fingerpiece 85 and dog 82 may be employed, however, for the purpose of illustration, I have employed a flexible element or wire 81 connected to the end 86 of the dog 82 and extending upwardly in the upright I3 of the door to the upper edge of the window opening I5 where it is reeved over a pulley 88 in said upright and connected to the fingerpiece 85. Any suitable means such 'as a spring 89 may be employed for holding the fingerpiece 85 and flexible element 81 in an inoperative position so that the dog 82 is normally free of and disengaged from'the hand lever 13.

Thus, from the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided an efficie'nt latch mechanism wherein the operating handles or hand levers thereof are out of the way but readily accessible and that as a result, the inner and outer surfaces of the door are free .of objectionable projections. All of the latchmechanism except the latch bolt I 9 and keeper 29 are within the boundaries or confines of the door structure. Moreover, the construction and arrangement of the latch mechanism is such that the springs 44 and 45 hold both inside and outside'remote control handles in their retracted out of the way positions and at the same time hold the latch bolt I9 in its lowered keeper-engaging position, while permitting free movement of the latch bolt independently of both remote control means 2| and 22 when the door is slammed or pushed to closed position.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. In a door latch mechanism, a case plate, a latch bolt having a shank pivotally engaging the case plate and provided with a lateral projection, and actuating means for the latch bolt including a pivotally mounted lever engageable with the projection, an operating member at a point remote to the case plate, and an operating connection between the operating member and lever including a bell crank lever having one arm thereof operatively connected to the operating member, a lever having a slotted connection with the pivotally mounted lever, and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to the other arm of the bell crank lever,

2. In a door latch mechanism, a case plate, a latch bolt having a shank pivotally engaging the case plate and provided with a lateral projection, and actuating means for the latch bolt including a pivotally mounted lever engageable with the projection, a hand lever at a point remote to the case plate, and an operating connection between the hand lever and pivotally mounted lever including a bell crank lever having one arm thereof operatively connected to the hand lever, a lever having a slotted connection with the pivotally mounted lever, and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to the other arm of the bell crank lever.

3. A door latch mechanism comprising a case plate, a latch bolt having a substantially cylindrical shank pivotally mounted in said case plate, pins projecting from said shank at substantially diametrically opposite points thereof, oppositely extending springs terminally connected to said pins and case plate for holding the latch bolt in a predetermined position, and actuating means for the latch bolt including a pivotally mounted lever free of but engageable with one of the pins aforesaid, and a longitudinally movable link having an elongated slot receiving the other of said pins.

4. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt having a pivotally mounted substantially cylindrical shank provided with a lateral projection, and actuating means for the latch bolt including a pivotally mounted lever free of but engageable with said projection, said lever having an elongated slot therein, an operating member at a point remote to the latch bolt, a bell crank lever having an arm operatively connected to the operating member, a lever having a pin movable lengthwise in the slot in the pivotally mounted lever,

and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to another arm of the bell crank lever.

5. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt, a bracket remote to the latch bolt, actuatin means for the bolt including ahand lever pivoted on the bracket, and means for r ndering the actuating means inoperative including a dog also mounted on the bracket and engageable with the hand lever, an operating member for the dog remote to the bracket, and a flexible connection between the operating member and dog.

6. A door latch mechanism comprising a pivotally mounted latch bolt provided with a projection, a pivotally mounted lever engageable with said projection to actuate the bolt, said lever having an elongated slot therein, an operating memher, and an operating connection between said operating member and lever including a bell crank lever having an arm operatively connected to the operating member, a lever having a pin movable lengthwise in the slot in the pivotally mounted lever, and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to another arm of said bell crank lever.

7. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt provided with a projection, a pivotally mounted lever engageable with said projection to actuate the bolt, an operating member, and an operating connection between said operating member and lever including a bell crank lever having an arm operatively connected to the operating member, a lever operatively connected to the pivotally mounted lever, and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to another arm of said bell crank lever.

8. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt, means including a pivotally mounted lever for actuating the bolt, an operating member, and an operating connection between said operating member and lever including a bell crank lever having an arm operatively connected to the operating member, a lever operatively connected to the pivotally mounted lever, and a link extending between and connected to the last mentioned lever and to another arm of said bell crank lever.

9. A door latch mechanism comprising a latch bolt provided with a projection, a pivotally mounted lever engageable with said projection to actuate the bolt, an operating member, and an operating connection between said operatin member and lever including a bell crank lever having an arm operatively connected to the operating member, a lever operatively connected to the pivotally mounted lever, and an operating connection between the last mentioned lever and another arm of said bell crank lever.

GEORGE JANONIS. 

